He woke with the jerk of his right fist coming up against his face and the line burning out through his right hand. He had no feeling of his left hand but he braked all he could with his right and the line rushed out. Finally his left hand found the line and he leaned back against the line and now it burned his back and his left hand, and his left hand was taking all the strain and cutting badly. He looked back at the coils of line and they were feeding smoothly. Just then the fish jumped making a great bursting of the ocean and then a heavy fall. Then he jumped again and again and the boat was going fast although line was still racing out and the old man was raising the strain to breaking point and raising it to breaking point again and again. He had been pulled down tight onto the bow and his face was in the cut slice of dolphin and he could not move.
他的右拳猛的朝他的臉撞去，釣索火辣辣地從他右手裡溜出去，他驚醒過來了。他的左手失去了知覺，他就用右手拚命拉住了釣索，但它還是一個勁兒地朝外溜。他的左手終於抓住了釣索，他仰著身子把釣索朝後拉，這一來釣索火辣辣地勒著他的背脊和左手，這左手承受了全部的拉力，給勒得好痛。他回頭望望那些釣索卷兒，它們正在滑溜地放出釣索。正在這當兒，魚跳起來了，使海面大大地迸裂開來，然後沉重地掉下去。接著它跳了一次又一次，船走得很快，然而釣索依舊飛也似地向外溜，老人把它拉緊到就快繃斷的程度，他一次次把它拉緊到就快繃斷的程度。他被拉得緊靠在船頭上，臉龐貼在那爿切下的鯕鰍肉上，他沒法動彈。
This is what we waited for, he thought. So now let us take it.
我們等著的事兒發生啦，他想。我們來對付它吧。
Make him pay for the line, he thought. Make him pay for it.
讓它為了拖釣索付出代價吧，他想。讓它為了這個付出代價吧。
He could not see the fish‘s jumps but only heard the breaking of the ocean and the heavy splash as he fell. The speed of the line was cutting his hands badly but he had always known this would happen and he tried to keep the cutting across the calloused parts and not let the line slip into the palm nor cut the fingers.
他看不見魚的跳躍，只聽得見海面的迸裂聲，和魚掉下時沉重的水花飛濺聲。飛快地朝外溜的釣索把他的手勒得好痛，但是他一直知道這事遲早會發生，就設法讓釣索勒在起老繭的部位，不讓它滑到掌心或者勒在手指頭上。
If the boy was here he would wet the coils of line, he thought. Yes. If the boy were here. If the boy were here.
如果那孩子在這兒，他會用水打溼這些釣索卷兒，他想。是啊。如果孩子在這兒。如果孩子在這兒。
The line went out and out and out but it was slowing now and he was making the fish earn each inch of it. Now he got his head up from the wood and out of the slice of fish that his cheek had crushed. Then he was on his knees and then he rose slowly to his feet. He was ceding line but more slowly all he time. He worked back to where he could feel with his foot the coils of line that he could not see. There was plenty of line still and now the fish had to pull the friction of all that new line through the water.
釣索朝外溜著，溜著，溜著，不過這時越來越慢了，他正在讓魚每拖走一英寸都得付出代價。現在他從木船板上抬起頭來，不再貼在那爿被他臉頰壓爛的魚肉上了。然後他跪著，然後慢慢兒站起身來。他正在放出釣索，然而越來越慢了。他把身子慢慢挪到可以用腳碰到那一卷卷他看不見的釣索的地方。釣索還有很多，現在這魚不得不在水裡拖著這許多摩擦力大的新釣索了。
Yes, he thought. And now he has jumped more than a dozen times and filled the sacks along his back with air and he cannot go down deep to die where I cannot bring him up. He will start circling soon and then I must work on him. I wonder what started him so suddenly? Could it have been hunger that made him desperate, or was he frightened by something in the night? Maybe he suddenly felt fear. But he was such a calm, strong fish and he seemed so fearless and so confident. It is strange.
是啊，他想。到這時它已經跳了不止十二次，把沿著背脊的那些液囊裝滿了空氣，所以沒法沉到深水中，在那兒死去，使我沒法把它撈上來。它不久就會轉起圈子來，那時我一定想法對付它。不知道它怎麼會這麼突然地跳起來的。敢情飢餓使它不顧死活了，還是在夜間被什麼東西嚇著了？也許它突然感到害怕了。不過它是一條那樣沉著、健壯的魚，似乎是毫無畏懼而信心十足的。這很奇怪。
"You better be fearless and confident yourself, old man," he said. "You‘re holding him again but you cannot get line. But soon he has to circle."
“你最好自己也毫無畏懼而信心十足，老傢伙，”他說。“你又把它拖住了，可是你沒法收回釣索。不過它馬上就得打轉了。”
The old man held him with his left hand and his shoulders now and stooped down and scooped up water in his right hand to get the crushed dolphin flesh off of his face. He was afraid that it might nauseate him and he would vomit and lose his strength. When his face was cleaned he washed his right hand in the water over the side and then let it stay in the salt water while he watched the first light come before the sunrise. He‘s headed almost east, he thought. That means he is tired and going with the current. Soon he will have to circle. Then our true work begins.
老人這時用他的左手和肩膀拽住了它，彎下身去，用右手舀水洗掉粘在臉上的壓爛的鯕鰍肉。他怕這肉會使他噁心，弄得他嘔吐，喪失力氣。擦乾淨了臉，他把右手在船舷外的水裡洗洗，然後讓它泡在這鹽水裡，一面注視著日出前的第一線曙光。它幾乎是朝正東方走的，他想。這表明它疲乏了，隨著潮流走。它馬上就得打轉了。那時我們才真正開始幹啦。
After he judged that his right hand had been in the water long enough he took it out and looked at it.
等他覺得把右手在水裡泡的時間夠長了，他把它拿出水來，朝它瞧著。
"It is not bad," he said. "And pain does not matter to a man."
“情況不壞，”他說。“疼痛對一條漢子來說，算不上什麼。”
He took hold of the line carefully so that it did not fit into any of the fresh line cuts and shifted his weight so that he could put his left hand into the sea on the other side of the skiff.
他小心地攥著釣索，使它不致嵌進新勒破的任何一道傷痕，把身子挪到小船的另一邊，這樣他能把左手伸進海里。
"You did not do so badly for something worthless," he said to his left hand. "But there was a moment when I could not find you."
“你這沒用的東西，總算幹得還不壞，”他對他的左手說。“可是曾經有一會兒，我得不到你的幫助。”
Why was I not born with two good hands? he thought. Perhaps it was my fault in not training that one properly. But God knows he has had enough chances to learn. He did not do so badly in the night, though, and he has only cramped once. If he cramps again let the line cut him off.
為什麼我不生下來就有兩隻好手呢？他想。也許是我自己的過錯，沒有好好兒訓練這隻手。可是天知道它曾有過夠多的學習機會。然而它今天夜裡幹得還不錯，僅僅抽了一回筋。要是它再抽筋，就讓這釣索把它勒斷吧。
When he thought that he knew that he was not being clear-headed and he thought he should chew some more of the dolphin. But I can‘t, he told himself. It is better to be light-headed than to lose your strength from nausea. And I know I cannot keep it if I eat it since my face was in it. I will keep it for an emergency until it goes bad. But it is too late to try for strength now through nourishment. You‘re stupid, he told himself. Eat the other flying fish.
他想到這裡，明白自己的頭腦不怎麼清醒了，他想起應該再吃一點鯕鰍。可是我不能，他對自己說。情願頭昏目眩，也不能因噁心欲吐而喪失力氣。我還知道吃了胃裡也擱不住，因為我的臉曾經壓在它上面。我要把它留下以防萬一，直到它腐臭了為止。不過要想靠營養來增強力氣，如今已經太晚了。你真蠢，他對自己說。把另外那條飛魚吃了吧。
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